4 minute read
Meet Our New Parochial Vicar, Fr. Augustine Aidoo
By now, you have likely noticed a new smiling face on the altar during Mass — and if you have had the pleasure of meeting new Parochial Vicar Fr. Augustine Aidoo, then you have also heard his hearty, infectious laugh! We are truly blessed to have Fr. Augustine’s joyful presence and inspiring faith here at Blessed Sacrament.
Fr. Augustine was born and raised in Ghana, one of four siblings in a Catholic family. Although his parents had moved the family to the Ashanti region in southern Ghana, when Fr. Augustine was 6, they decided to send him back to their hometown in central Ghana, so he could be schooled where their native language was spoken. While there, he lived with his aunt and grandmother.
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During those formative years, the Catholic Church remained central to Fr. Augustine’s life. He attended a Catholic school and followed the strong faith traditions of his family.
“My auntie was a catechist at the time,” Fr. Augustine says. “She was very influential, and you dared not miss church — no, no, no! I was so blessed from the beginning because she was a trailblazer in the community. My father’syounger brother was also a catechist. We were a mission church where a priest would come once a month, so when the priest wasn’t around, my [relatives] would lead the service.”
In the summer after third grade, a neartragedy would lead Fr. Augustine to return to his parents’ home in the Ashanti region. While playing near the local stream, Fr. Augustine stretched out to reach a toy that had fallen in the water. Unable to swim, he was swiftly swept away by a strong current. By the time a villager was able to fetch him to safety, Fr. Augustine had taken in a lot of water. He survived the incident and now believes it was providential.
“I believe it was a blessing in disguise,” Fr. Augustine says. “When I got drowned and rescued, my parents decided [I needed to return to live with them]. The man that rescued me fell ill three months later and almost died. Now, he will tell me, ‘Father, people thought I was going to die, but now you have become a priest and I believe the Lord is saving me through you.’ So that’s why I think it’s a blessing in disguise, that I got rescued also for him to be saved.”
Fr. Augustine’s education continued in the Ashanti region at St. Anthony Catholic School. From the time he received the Sacramentsof Baptism and First Communion at age 13, he felt a strong desire to be a priest. He attended seminary after high school and was ordained on July 17, 2004.
After serving as a missionary priest in Botswana for seven years, Fr. Augustine had only been back in his native Ghana for about five years when he received a call from the bishop’s office that would send him on yet another adventure.
“The bishop handed me a letter and the letterhead read ‘Covington Diocese,’” Fr. Augustine says. “It was an official letter from Bishop Foys. So that’s how I landed here — I had no idea I would ever be coming to the U.S.! I think now that it is clear I am a missionary priest.”
As a missionary priest, Fr. Augustine had grown accustomed to being away from his home country — however, coming to the States was an entirely new experience! Thankfully, he found everyone at his first assignment at St. Joseph in Crescent Springs to be very warm and welcoming. From there, he went on to serve at St. Matthew and St. Cecilia parishes in Kenton County.
Everywhere he has served, Fr. Augustine has enjoyed being able to share the Mass with God’s people and be there in their times of need.
“It’s always great when people need their priest and are always able to catch you at the right time,” he says. “When this happens in your ministry, it feels like you are there and people are getting what they need. That is what I love — that when people need me, I’m there.”
Now at the beginning of yet another chapter in his priestly life, Fr. Augustine is thankful to be joining our faith community here at Blessed Sacrament.
“Already, the people that I’ve met at the office are very cooperative and helpful, and my pastor and I are getting to know each other,” Fr. Augustine says. “I think we will all be able to work together so well. I’m so excited and happy to be a part of this parish!”
